Friday, August 22, 2014

Trip to Kherson

I have already been back in L'viv for a few weeks but finally getting around to updating about my trip to Kherson. It is a city in south, central Ukraine pretty close to Crimea. Naturally my parents and some other people were worried when I said I was going close to Crimea and closer to the combat zones in Ukraine, but I promise it was completely safe. Kherson is very patriotic, and there are Ukrainian flags flying on every street. Also, it is one of the cities that toppled and removed a statue of Lenin during the revolution this last winter. I went to Kherson with my good friends Serhiy and Sofia, Sofia being 7 months pregnant! Serhiy is from there and we went to his father's church in a village near Kherson called Bilozerka. There we did a summer camp much like our VBS at home for children from that village. We left on a train, and 21 hours later we were there. It was hot on the train, but God had answered our prayer for rain the night before, so it wasn't as hot as it could have been.
The weather in Kherson was much warmer than in L'viv, and the first few days were hard because we didn't have a shower. We ended up building a summer shower outside, but at first, when we didn't have a shower, we just went swimming in a natural spring not far away, or in the Dnipro river. Another method to help cool down was to dig into a fresh watermelon, which they are famous for growing in that region. The first week of our two weeks in Kherson, we set the territory of the church up for camp the next week, which included building a shower for ourselves as I said, but also building benches, tables, fixing things, painting, cleaning, and many other things to prepare. It was a great time getting to know the believers there as we prepared everything, then would spend evenings together. Our team wasn't very big, there was about 7 of us plus some grandmas that helped in the kitchen, so we really did everything. It was a hard first week getting used to the heat and the amount of work we did everyday, so I slept very well each night. Finally we prepared everything and Monday morning waited for the kids to arrive. We expected around 30 and ended up getting around 22 which was great. I did the sports/camp games during the week, and it was fun teaching them some american games which they seemed to enjoy even though it was so hot. I threw in some games with water/water balloons to help with this. I also helped wherever possible, and tried to get to know the kids as good as possible. They speak a poor and not always correct mixture of Russian and Ukrainian so it was difficult for me to understand them at first, but the longer I stayed the more I understood. I just spoke to them in Ukrainian, which they mostly understood as they learn it in school. Our camp was themed "Joseph, God's Hero" and they learned about Joseph from the Bible and what made him a "superhero." It was encouraging to hear them answer questions about what they had learned. Even the smallest group knew their stuff! Also because it was about Joseph, and that is my name, they often mentioned that, or made me play Joseph in the skits everyday.
Overall I must say that this camp was really very special to us. Maybe because we were truly needed there. Or maybe they were just really great kids, but all three of us were not wanting to leave by the end of our trip. I am blessed to have had the chance to get to know these great kids and the believers in Bilozerka. Already I have shown my pictures to many people in L'viv, when telling about our trip. Every time I show someone, I just miss that place even more, and it makes me want to jump on a train back there. It was a great time and there are many special people in Kherson and Bilozerka that I will miss very much, so I hope I'll have an opportunity to visit again. Thank you everyone who was praying for me while I was there, and for my safety, and for the camp. Please continue to pray that Jesus would be known in Bilozerka and in Kherson, and that the churches there would continue to be strengthened and continue to grow.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Youth Camp at the Lake

Finally getting around to my updates after a few weeks of being out of town. The first I went to was a camp with the Central Church here in L'viv. It was a youth camp and we went about an hour away to a lake. The name of the camp was "It's Worth It 2." It was mostly children from believing families but there were about 12-15 guests from non-believer families. It was a great experience to see the youth change from day 1 to day 6 as they talked about different themes in small groups, and heard a message every evening. One thing that stuck out at me was the fourth day when we had a "camp game" in which we posted signs everywhere saying this or that was prohibited. Then throughout the day we took notes of people who broke these rules.
Some of them thought it was funny to be disobedient, but at the end of the day we called them all up to the front when we were sitting around a bonfire. Then they were told that they would all be sent home the next day. Then the director said he would take the punishment for them and they poured a bucket of cold water on his head. It was interesting to see that reactions of the youth and many of them felt very bad for the director who didn't do anything wrong but was punished. Of course, as you can probably guess now, this was a good example of Christ who took the punishment of our sins but was holy and blameless, never doing anything wrong. Camp was a great blessing for me, I always seem to get more out of it than I think I am putting in. God works that way sometimes. The last day the camp staff and leaders stayed an extra half day to clean and pack everything, but also to enjoy time together and of course to enjoy a very tasty barbecue. It was a nice time to debrief and also for me to spend some time with some friends I've known for years but haven't seen much this year. The youth really changed a lot from the beginning and I pray that these camps wouldn't just make a difference for a few weeks, but for eternity. Thanks for your prayers and support, and continue to pray for peace in Ukraine as the east is still at war.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

MH17

I know many of you, if not most of you, have seen a lot in the news about Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. Most people are blaming the rebels in eastern Ukraine, and blaming Russia who has been supplying them with weapons and training for this horrible act. It always grieves me to think of any loss of life. Life is so valuable, so precious and 298 lives were taken in just a second. I don't need to tell you much more about this as I am sure you all have already heard a lot about it. I just encourage you to think about life in general.
God gave it to us. It is short, and it can be taken away in an instant. Don't waste your life. Don't wait until it's too late to tell a friend, a neighbor, a family member about the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ and what he did for us all on the cross of Calvary. Please pray for the family members and loved-ones of those who died on MH17 in this senseless act of aggression. And please remember the more than 300 Ukrainian servicemen and hundreds of Ukrainian civilians who already have lost their lives in this conflict in eastern Ukraine. Please pray for peace for Ukraine. I just returned this week from a youth camp. It was a great and encouraging time for me serving with other Ukrainian believers, and it was a blessing to be a part of. I was amazed to see God working in the hearts of these young people and really saw a change in many of them as camp progressed. Please pray for them, that they would remember what they heard at camp and that God would change their hearts. They are the future of Ukraine and I pray continually for God-fearing leaders for this still young country. Also please pray for me tomorrow as I head east, closer to the conflict zones, to help with another camp in Kherson. There we will be doing a lot with very little resources and we will have mostly poor children from the small towns and villages in the area. Please pray for our safety as we travel around 20 hours on train to this area. Also pray that God would use us in an amazing way as we help a church in the area with this camp. We pray that through the children we can help this church to connect to these families in this area, and be able to witness to them and show them the love of Christ. And also of course that they would hear the Gospel and respond to it. We know God desires that all men be saved, and again I encourage you to value every life, every soul around you. Remember that there are more important things than some of our everyday problems that seem to consume us sometimes. Think on eternal things! May God bless you all this week. Thank you again sincerely for your prayers and support for me and our work here in Ukraine.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Presidential elections

If anyone is following closely the situation in Ukraine you will know about this but for the rest of you I will give a quick update. As you probably know the revolution took Victor Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine, out of power and an interim president was elected.
Elections were moved from next year to May 25th of this year. There were many fears of pro-Russian interference in the elections, but besides some problems in the east where voters were prohibited from voting or poll stations closed or prevented from opening, the elections went smoothly. A successful businessman and pro-European candidate, Petro Poroshenko won the election. (photo on the left) Please pray for him that God would give him wisdom do deal with this broken country and with the unstable situation in the east, as well as a devastated economy. The east is still in turmoil and there is serious fighting there between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militias. The day after the elections these militants tried to take over the Donetsk airport and the Ukrainian military responded in force killing more than 50 of the rebels. (photo on the right) It is even rumored that fighters from Chechnya, the infamous region of unrest in Russia, have joined the pro-Russian forces.
Please pray for Ukraine, that the country can get back to normal after these elections. Pray that there would be peace in Ukraine and that things would get back to normal. Also please again pray for the economy because the Ukrainian Hrivnia is continuing to drop in value and it really is affecting the people here. It is making things even harder for me financially but for Ukrainians it is becoming much more difficult even to afford basic amenities. Thanks again for being faithful to me with support and with lifting these things up in prayer. If you have any questions or would like to help with supporting me in some way please just ask me or talk to someone at Calvary, or to my parents. God bless and I will update again soon.

Trip to the Orphanage

One ministry that we often take part of here in Ukraine is ministering to orphans. We went to an orphanage in a village not far from L'viv, called Veliky Lyubin. I am just now updating the blog, but we went there on Mother's day and we try to visit there once or twice per month. So first we asked our neighbors here if they had any used toys, or clothes to donate and we went door to door asking them.
They were very generous and we received bags full of stuff to give the orphans. We wanted to include the neighbors in this ministry, even if they didn't know it, and give them a chance to get to know us because we hope to minister to them as well. We took a couple of buses to the orphanage and basically just spent some time with the kids there. It was Mother's day as I said so the kids that were left there really had no where to go and no one who cares for them. We played games, sports, did arts and crafts, and sang songs with them as well as a short message from the Bible. Then after we just went for a walk with them. The children were excited to show us around. They were so excited to just have someone to talk to or to receive a little attention. There were big smiles everywhere. And of course they were very happy to get a little "goodie bag" that we had prepared for them. It is a blessing always to see their smiling faces. Please pray for them as orphans in Ukraine have a very hard life, and very few opportunities for a better future.
Please pray also for the situation in Ukraine as the eastern part of the country is still very unstable. Thank you all for your prayers and support and if you have any questions just ask!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Situation with Russia still not any better

Hello everyone! Finally writing an update this month! If you are still following the news the situation with Russia hasn't really changed all that much. Still there is very high tension, and no one is really sure what Putin will do next. Some Ukrainian forces have tried to take back some buildings in Eastern Ukraine from pro-Russian forces, there was some success but not much. We believe these forces are either payed for and/or backed by the Russian government, and there is even believed to be Russian agents trying to cause some of this dissension to destabilize the interim Ukrainian government before elections in May.
Some of these pro-Russian forces have even captured some individuals from the EU, some Ukrainian diplomats, and members of the Ukrainian armed forces, and I even heard that someone was found dead and was believed to have been tortured as well. It is a very sad situation because not all the people in the Eastern parts are wrong. Some are just normal Ukrainians who have bought into the lies told to them through the Russian run and Russian controlled media, so there isn't a simple solution to these tensions. Please continue to follow this situation and pray for Ukraine. Just remember I am on the other side of the country and far from these situations. It is safe in my area for now, so no need to worry. (The photo is some Ukrainian forces moving in on a checkpoint controlled by pro-Russian forces.) This last week I celebrated my birthday. I actually thought I wouldn't really celebrate I didn't expect anything special, but my friends threw me a surprised party. I had some English lessons that day so I really wasn't expecting anything. It was a very fun evening and was a blessing for me. We had a great time fellowshipping with one another, eating, and playing games. It was great! I have English lessons just about every evening. It is mostly to help support myself here, but pray that God would use it as well. Also this week we are starting a new youth ministry. We have been wanting to start some ministry for young people for a while, and have been planning it, and will meet the first time on Wednesday. It will be a social outreach to youth where we will basically discuss together different problems we see in society and in the world. We will then give them a biblical solution to these problems or say what does the bible say about them, and we will discuss together will them what can we do to make a difference. We hope to brainstorm with these youth and come up with ideas, then together with them to actually do something about it. For example if they say the parks are dirty and it is a problem, so we will all go together and clean-up in some way. Our church is partnering with another church in the are to do this so please pray that God would bless this, and that many young people would come. I also hope to invite many of the people I know from Horodok where I was living last year. Thank you all for you prayers and support! It is very appreciated. If you have any questions feel free to ask or leave comment! God Bless you all this week! Another update coming soon.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Spring Update

Just a quick post to keep everyone updated on how I am doing. First of all, thanks everyone for your prayers. It really felt like there would be a war here. It has so far remained peaceful. Many people, including myself, are not happy that Russia was able to annex Crimea with really no repercussions besides a few weak sanctions, but at least there has been no real fighting for the last month. People are still a little scared of what can happen because there remains a large force of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Many think that Putin will try to do in Eastern Ukraine what he did in Crimea. Praise God however that prayers for peace, at least at the moment, have been answered. Continue to pray for Ukraine and for peace here, and also that the new government that is forming would be wise and not so corrupt as in the past. Also please pray for wisdom for European and American leaders, and that they would make good decisions with how to deal with this situation with Crimea, and with Russia. They say its the worse relations have been since the Cold War, and I really pray Ukraine doesn't suffer from this anymore than it already has. As for me I had a very busy month sorry I didn't update for a while. I started teaching English many times per week. It is a a good way to develop relationships, and keeps me busy, as well as providing a small portion of my support. Also please pray for Trinity church where I am serving. We are trying to start a youth program here at the church to reach out to young people. We are currently in the planning stages of that and deciding what we will do, when, where etc. Thanks also for your prayers for me as I travelled to Krakow, Poland. The Ukrainian Embassy is in Krakow and I had to go there to make my visa which allows me to register to live here for a year. Everything went perfectly, and I got my visa for 45 days in which time I must complete the registration process. It is a long, arduous process so please pray that things go smoothly as we navigate all the government channels to complete this process. It requires many documents and of course can be denied in which case I cannot stay here. So again, please pray for this. A big thanks all of you who continue to support me both financially and in prayer! If you have any questions or anything that you want to know please ask! I would love to tell you or talk you about Ukraine and about what we are doing here. God Bless =)

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Crimea Referendum

Today is the day when Crimean residents are voting whether to join Russia or to become independent. This vote, according to most of the world, and according to the Ukrainian constitution is not valid and is illegal. Putin, however, doesn't want to listen to the rest of the world and is doing things the way he wants. It is a very tense situation now in Ukraine as both Russian and Ukrainian forces are growing larger and larger. A lot of hired Russian protesters/aggravators are stirring things up in some of Ukraine's western cities, and in Crimea, enticing violence so that Putin can say that things are dangerous and he needs to send troops there to protect Russian citizens. This is the same lie he used in Georgia in 2008. Also Russian troops just invaded the mainland Ukraine and took over a gas plant there citing that they were afraid of terrorist activity there. Also a lie. Even in Moscow thousands are standing up against this aggression and the lies. I just hope Putin will listen, but seems he will not. He has had his eye on Crimea for a long time, and sees himself as the restorer of the Russian (or Soviet) empire.
Please pray for Ukraine, and for it's leaders, armies, citizens, and in general for defense and protection from Russian aggressions. Ukrainians are very worried and some have even asked me if Americans know what to do if there is fighting, bombs, and shooting. They said they don't know what to do and they are very worried. Also please pray for the many Ukrainians from the east and from Crimea that will seek refuge in my area. It could open many doors for ministry and evangelism to help these refugees who are trying to get farther away from the fighting or possible fighting. Some of them are already making their way to western Ukraine. As for me I am still doing well. I was sick last week I think from eating something bad, but all is well now and I am 100%. Another big answer to prayer is that I found some English lessons to teach, which will cover about half of my support to stay here, so thank you for your prayers. I still need to find the other half, and I'm trying to invest in a bicycle to get around town, so if any of you would like to help in anyway please donate through this blog (using PayPal), through Calvary, or if you know my parents you can also give it to them. It would be greatly appreciated. The best support you could give me however is through prayer. Thanks, and please continue to pray for Ukraine! I will keep you updated.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Now problems with Russia...

I am sure you all are seeing regularly about the situation in Ukraine in the news right now. It is much worse than a revolution now, it is closer to a conflict with Russia or even a War. Russia is saying, like it did in Georgia a few years ago, that it is just trying to protect its Russian citizens. They have invaded Crimea, a region in southern Ukraine, and are currently occupying some bases there and some other strategic places as well. They apparently have just issued an ultimatum stating that if the remaining Ukrainian bases aren't surrendered they will attack in the morning. Moscow is denying this.
Also Putin asked the Russian parliament to approve use of forces not just in Crimea but in all of Ukraine. This my friends is an act of aggression and of War. Please pray for Ukraine! That no more lives would be lost and that there won't be any war or even mention of war. Pray that Putin comes to his senses and that the rest of the world will do what has to be done to pressure him into backing down. Thanks for your prayers please continue to pray diligently for the situation here. More updates to come soon.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

A Big Victory for Ukraine...But Many Things Still to be Decided

A very big victory for Ukraine today. The president Viktor Yanukovych seemed to have disappeared this morning and all riot police as well. The opposition gained control of Kyiv's center and the government buildings there. Later the Ukrainian parliament voted to impeach Yanukovych effectively removing him as the president of Ukraine. This is what many people in Ukraine wanted and probably one of the few things that could really stop the violence.
Things are peaceful now in Kyiv but still very tense. The president has fled to Kharkiv a eastern city in Ukraine, and some are saying a Russian stronghold where Yanukovych has many more allies. He said he is the rightfully elected President and that everything in Kyiv was a coup and done by bandits and is not willing to go quietly, so it is interesting how things will play out. Also it is very important to see how Russia will react. Yanukovych was their guy and now with the olympics ending who knows where Russia will focus it's attention. Keep in mind that Russia controls much of the energy resources for Ukraine and can turn off that supply as it wishes. Some eastern and more pro-russian cities and regions are already talking about splitting from Ukraine if constitutional order isn't restored.
It is a huge victory, but a lot of things can still go wrong. Please pray that there won't be any senseless fighting as power is restored and new leaders chosen. Pray also that the new leaders will be good, honest, and have the people's best interests in mind. Pray for the hundreds of families who lost loved ones in the fighting in Kyiv. Also pray that Ukraine will stay united and not have any fighting between East and West. Altogether, it is a good day for Ukraine. The people here in L'viv, and in most of the country, feel that it is a victory for them and that things will be better now. Thanks everyone for your prayers and support and please continue to pray for Ukraine as there is still a lot to be done here and many things can still go wrong. I hope and pray that the worst is over and that it is all uphill from here for Ukraine! Thanks again and God bless!!! (about the pictures: You can see in the first picture protesters guarding the now empty presidential buildings keeping them safe from vandalizing and looting. The protesters said the buildings are the people's again and they will protect it until the new president comes there. You can see some members of parliament cheering in the second picture after voting to remove Yanukovych from office.)

Friday, February 21, 2014

A Very Tough Week for Ukraine

This week's death toll, last I heard, was at 77, but many think it will be higher. It is a sad week for Ukraine and for many families who lost loved ones in this senseless fighting, but there is hope here. Hope for a better government, a better country, and a better future. Already the Ukrainian parliament is voting to return to the constitution of 2004 under which the president has less power. The current president, Viktor Yanukovych changed the constitution when he took office giving himself more power and the parliament less. Also the government agreed to pull back its riot police and agreed to early presidential elections in December of this year.
Everyone is just hoping this is enough to end the madness and the fighting. Some think it might not be enough...I hope it is and that the fighting will stop. Also some people think these concessions are just a ploy to allow Yanukovych's government to bring in more troops, and many are distrustful of anything he is promising. Already some of my American friends are packing to go home and some who were planning to return didn't. Please continue to pray for Ukraine. I hope you will take a few minutes of your day to do so, and also I encourage you to watch the news and some videos about what is happening here so you will understand better because I can't explain it as well as some of the pictures and videos can. Thanks again everyone for your prayers and support and if you have any questions just ask.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Worst violence in 70 years...

Yesterday we saw in Ukraine the worst violence in 70 years. It was the deadline for the protesters to leave all buildings and stop all protesting.
The Ukrainian riot police attacked the protest camp with water cannons, stun grenades, and some say live ammunition. If any of you are watching the news it really does look like a war zone. Please pray for Ukraine and for the people of Ukraine, and that this will not continue to escalate, but a peaceful solution will be found. Click here for a video that shows more about yesterday and explains a little about this revolution. Thanks for your prayers and support. For those of you worried about me just remember that most of this fighting is in Kiev and I am completely safe. Please continue to keep Ukraine in your prayers!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Update on the Situation in Ukraine

Protests are still going strong here in the capital city of Kiev. There are still many reports on a daily basis, some of them alarming and some of them just plain sad, but hard to know which side is telling the truth. Some reports by the police make the anti-goverment groups to appear as right-wing fanatics setting off bombs and such and murdering people, however the reports from normal people are that things aren't happening like the police say. Anyways, it's still very tense and still unclear how things will turn out here.
One positive step was that the anti-protest laws that I mentioned in a previous post were overturned so that is a good thing. Another area of debate at the moment is amnesty for the protesters who have been arrested. The president signed a bill saying they would be granted amnesty if all the protesters leave the government buildings they are occupying but they are unwilling to do that and don't trust the government to keep its word. I will continue to watch how things will unfold here, and pass it along to you all as best I can. Please keep praying for the people here and the situation in Ukraine as it is still very unstable. As for me like I said don't worry, I am in L'viv not Kiev, and it is still calm where I am living. Just mostly life as usual here, which included two very cold weeks at almost -20 C most of the time. Now things a are a bit warmer and the snow is melting so I'm just dodging falling ice and snow (not really but still should be careful). I am busy helping where I can with some ministries and with English and possibly helping the Trinity church I am currently working with a church-plant in a different area of the city. More to come on that later when I can explain it in more detail. Thanks everyone for your interest in Ukraine, and in the work we are doing here. Encouraging to have many people say that they read the blog and are glad to hear I am doing ok. Thanks for your continued prayers and support. More updates to come! God bless.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Unrest in Ukraine

As some of you know and probably many of you don't know I am back in Ukraine again. I was working in America and couldn't wait to get back! Now I am here and am getting settled in L'viv. I found an apartment and I have working internet and can finally posting my first update since being back. I will start by telling you all a little more about the unrest in Ukraine you might have heard about or seen in the news. So I will explain a little from what I have seen, heard, and understood about this situation.

It all started in November with a decision by the Ukrainian government, and mostly the president Yanukovich to not sign a trade agreement with the European Union but instead to sign an agreement with Russia. Many people in Ukraine wanted this agreement to happen with the EU, and wanted to get away from Russian dominance, and so they went to the center in Kiev to protest. Now this wasn't a large demonstration only maybe 7,000 people. The president and his special riot police made their first of many big mistakes at this time and violently beat these demonstrators with truncheons and shot tear gas at them. This action enraged the whole country and within a few days this 7,000 became 100,000 then 200,000 and finally more than 300,000 people as busloads of people came to protest the president, his bullying tactics and use of the police force, and his decisions which most people think are endangering their futures. Now they protest and are calling for his resignation. Many of these things you see are a result of him trying to hang onto his power.
That was almost 2 months ago and since then the President hasn't cooled things down but continues to anger the people with his decisions, and refusal to change things. After the first large gathering when things were starting to calm down the special riot police attacked again. This has happened multiple times in the last 2 months and has done nothing but anger the people and cause more reinforcements to go to the Kiev center square from cities all over Ukraine. Then again the president made a poor decision, which I guess was an attempt to calm things down, when on January 19th he unconstitutionally passed laws against protest, wearing masks, caravans with more than 5 cars, and any people receiving funds from outside the country are supposedly considered "foreign agents." (This includes me by the way.) He passed these laws very quickly and signed them into law with just people from his party. Many people believe these laws and laws to come are unconstitutional and will cause, if left unchecked, Ukraine to become a dictatorship. The people know this and are ready to fight, and even give their lives, to keep it from happening.

Just this last Wednesday, I'm sorry to say, we saw the first deaths. I have heard 3-4 people died so far, which again only enrages the people further. This week the protests spread from Kiev to many other cities. Around 10 other cities in Ukraine had government buildings stormed and occupied by protesters. These usually involved clashes again with riot police trying to keep order. If you watch the news you probably can see tires and buses burning in Kiev where protesters are still standing strong after multiple attacks by the riot police to push them back. I also added a few photos here. It is a very sad situation and I hate to see people fighting and especially lose their lives, but I understand that a dictatorship would be much worse and that something must be done. I hope Europe and America will help too in whatever ways they can.
Once again, I am very saddened to hear of the loss of life already and hope it won't get any worse. On the bright side churches have mobilized as they realized they too must do something about this, and cannot just sit around and watch the news as it happens and hope for the best. Evangelical churches in my area have set up a prayer location that is open 24 hours a day as well set prayer time-blocks for people so that someone always will be praying for this situation and that God's will would be done here in Ukraine. And this is happening all over the country which is truly remarkable. I will go to this prayer location a couple nights this week as well and pray with my Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Its really great to know that our "King" is the one with the real power and and everything is in His hands.

Please pray with us for Ukraine, for the safety of the people here, for the government, and for the freedom for the people of this great country. If you have any questions or would like to help with ministry here in anyway just ask. And for everyone worrying about me, I appreciate your prayers as well, but don't worry! I am in one of the safer cities and am not close to any government buildings or meeting places. I haven't seen any violence near me at all. Thank you all for you prayers and support and I will have another update soon as I start to plug into some ministries here and help as best I can, and wherever I can. Thanks again for your prayers!